Notoane confident despite hiccups

Despite all the obstacles, South African National Under-23 coach David Notoane (right) is confident that his charges are ready to kickstart their Caf Under-23 Afcon campaign on a good note when they face Zambia at the Cairo International Stadium today.

Notoane, who has 15 players at his disposal for the tournament is expecting some of the players he called up for the competition to arrive as the tournament progresses with the Fifa break coming up next week.

Facing familiar opponents in Zambia in their opening Group B match of the competition, the Under-23 coach labeled this tie a “Southern African derby” and says both teams will be looking to start the tournament on a positive note.

“Coming to our match against Zambia on Saturday (today) will be tough against our neighbours. So, we are looking forward to the match but take nothing for granted knowing it is a regional derby.

It is very important for both teams naturally – being the first game in the tournament to get three points, and I’m sure both teams will go in to fight for those three points,” said Notoane.

“Coming to the Tournament we had some challenges from a preparation point of view with the unavailability of players and injuries and all that. But all things said and done, we are looking forward to the game tomorrow – our first game in Group-B – and we are excited about the opportunity.”

Captain of the squad Tercious Malepe echoed his coach’s sentiments with regard to facing Zambia. He believes that everyone in camp is raring to play and they have been working very hard at training preparing for this match.

“As the coach said earlier, we are looking forward to the Zambia game,” said Malepe. But we know it’s not going to be easy, it’s going to be a tough one. I can guarantee that the boys are ready, we have been working very hard and we are ready for the game,”